---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Mystery fiction was considered a…"
description: "\"Mystery fiction was considered a stepchild of literature.\" — Evan Hunter"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3f/evan-hunter-34839_books_mystery-fiction-was-considered-a-stepchi_2278157.jpg"
---

#  Mystery fiction was considered a stepchild of literature.

![“Mystery fiction was considered a stepchild of literature.” quote by Evan Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3f/evan-hunter-34839_books_mystery-fiction-was-considered-a-stepchi_2278157.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3f/evan-hunter-34839_books_mystery-fiction-was-considered-a-stepchi_2278157.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3f/evan-hunter-34839_books_mystery-fiction-was-considered-a-stepchi_2278157.jpg)

> “Mystery fiction was considered a stepchild of literature.”

[Evan Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-hunter/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Mystery fiction is often undervalued, seen as a lesser branch of literature despite its narrative power.

**In simple terms:** Mystery is seen as low‑brow literature.

Key Takeaway

Recognize its artistic merit.

Themes

literature genre bias storytelling creative value

Mood

thoughtful analytical

Type

critical philosophical

When to use this quote

- mainstream literary criticism
- award considerations

Key Concepts

genre theory cultural hierarchy reader expectations

Questions to Reflect On

- What qualities make mystery fiction literary?
- Can genre elevate a story’s status?

A Different Perspective

Some view mystery as purely entertainment, not art.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Considered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/considered/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Fiction Considered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction-considered-3581335/) [Literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literature/) [Mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mystery/) [Mystery Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mystery-fiction-1042832/) [Stepchild Literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stepchild-literature-5306581/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/)

## Related quotes

> [ “\[M\]ay not literature (and, in particular, fiction) be considered a desperate and permanently thwarted effort to produce a unique form of expression? Something like… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-g-le-cl-zio/m-ay-not-literature-and-in-particular-fiction-be-considered-a/)

[J.M.G. Le Clézio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-g-le-cl-zio/)

> [“There are books written by women. There are books written by men. Somehow, though, it is only books by women, or books about certain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/there-are-books-written-by-women-there-are-books-written-by-men/)

[Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/)

> [A typical biography relying upon individuals' notorious memories and the anecdotes they've invented contains a high degree of fiction, yet is considered 'nonfiction.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/a-typical-biography-relying-upon-individuals-notorious-memories-and/)

[Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/)

> [“When I think of highly plotted novels I think of detective fiction or mystery fiction, the kind of work that always produces a few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/when-i-think-of-highly-plotted-novels-i-think-of-detective-fiction-or/)

[Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/)

> [I frankly couldn't imagine being a series mystery-fiction writer, churning out book after book about the same viewpoint character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-j-sawyer/i-frankly-couldn-t-imagine-being-a-series-mystery-fiction-writer/)

[Robert J. Sawyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-j-sawyer/)

> [The most sustained feat of imagination in mystery fiction today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-child/the-most-sustained-feat-of-imagination-in-mystery-fiction-today/)

[Lee Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-child/)

> [Mystery fiction is, after all, a substitute for tranquilizers, strong drink, and bad, if diverting, companions. One slips into bed ... onto the train…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-cantwell/mystery-fiction-is-after-all-a-substitute-for-tranquilizers-strong/)

[Mary Cantwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-cantwell/)

> [“And when I’d settled down, I considered the possibility that I wasn’t yet ready to ask for the love of anyone because I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-decker/and-when-i-d-settled-down-i-considered-the-possibility-that-i-wasn-t/)

[Steven Decker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-decker/)

> [I read a lot of 'Nancy Drew' books as a kid and considered myself a bit of an amateur detective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-cain/i-read-a-lot-of-nancy-drew-books-as-a-kid-and-considered-myself-a-bit/)

[Chelsea Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-cain/)

> [courting is for those who have not declared their love for one another- should not be considered a task.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-garwood/courting-is-for-those-who-have-not-declared-their-love-for-one/)

[Julie Garwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-garwood/)

> [When you go somewhere like Kenya and you see how the children don't have pencils and pens, and all of these things are considered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomie-harris/when-you-go-somewhere-like-kenya-and-you-see-how-the-children-don-t/)

[Naomie Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomie-harris/)

> [It's American Alternative radio stations that bug me. We're considered Alternative, but don't expect us to be played next to Blink 182 and Offspring.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thurston-moore/it-s-american-alternative-radio-stations-that-bug-me-we-re-considered/)

[Thurston Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thurston-moore/)

> [Black people are not often considered mainstream.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lamman-rucker/black-people-are-not-often-considered-mainstream/)

[Lamman Rucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lamman-rucker/)

> [Knowledge is generally considered a good thing; so, presumably, knowing more about how the U.S. thinks and operates around the world is also good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/knowledge-is-generally-considered-a-good-thing-so-presumably-knowing/)

[Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/)

> [There are a lot of people who can slide on talent their whole lives; they're just naturally gifted. I've never considered myself one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zac-efron/there-are-a-lot-of-people-who-can-slide-on-talent-their-whole-lives/)

[Zac Efron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zac-efron/)

## More by Evan Hunter

> [“They'd taught him how to milk cows,and now they expected him to tame lions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-hunter/they-d-taught-him-how-to-milk-cows-and-now-they-expected-him-to-tame/)

[Evan Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-hunter/)

> [“Do you condemn the kids for not having been blessed with I.Q.s of 120? Can you condemn the kids? Can you condemn anyone? Can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-hunter/do-you-condemn-the-kids-for-not-having-been-blessed-with-i-q-s-of-120/)

[Evan Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-hunter/)

> [My first wife kept calling me Sal, and I finally said to her, 'Why do you think I changed my name, honey? I really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-hunter/my-first-wife-kept-calling-me-sal-and-i-finally-said-to-her-why-do/)

[Evan Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-hunter/)

> [“They taught him how to milk cows and now they expected him to tame lions. Perhaps they expected him to behave like all good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-hunter/they-taught-him-how-to-milk-cows-and-now-they-expected-him-to-tame/)

[Evan Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-hunter/)

> [It's hard to write an Evan Hunter novel because I really am starting from scratch. I'm assuming a new voice each time. The McBain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-hunter/it-s-hard-to-write-an-evan-hunter-novel-because-i-really-am-starting/)

[Evan Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-hunter/)

> [I think of myself as a softy. I think the 87th Precinct novels are very sentimental, and the cops are idealistic guys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-hunter/i-think-of-myself-as-a-softy-i-think-the-87th-precinct-novels-are/)

[Evan Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-hunter/)

> [When I started writing, most of the police department in New York City, especially above the rank of detective, were Irish, Irish-American. I thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-hunter/when-i-started-writing-most-of-the-police-department-in-new-york-city/)

[Evan Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-hunter/)

> [Sometimes I had three or four stories in a single magazine without the editor knowing they were all by me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-hunter/sometimes-i-had-three-or-four-stories-in-a-single-magazine-without/)

[Evan Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-hunter/)

> [I only knew one thing about policemen: they were inhuman beasts. The problem was how to turn them into likable, sympathetic human beings. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-hunter/i-only-knew-one-thing-about-policemen-they-were-inhuman-beasts-the/)

[Evan Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-hunter/)

> [I was a blond-haired kid with blue eyes, growing up in an Italian ghetto. I had a very high IQ. In elementary school, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-hunter/i-was-a-blond-haired-kid-with-blue-eyes-growing-up-in-an-italian/)

[Evan Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-hunter/)

> [It's a matter of style. The Evan Hunter style and the Ed McBain style are very, very different.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-hunter/it-s-a-matter-of-style-the-evan-hunter-style-and-the-ed-mcbain-style/)

[Evan Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-hunter/)

> [“I don't want to die," he thought. "I haven't lived yet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-hunter/i-don-t-want-to-die-he-thought-i-haven-t-lived-yet/)

[Evan Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-hunter/)

> [You just touch on things. You don't go round the room describing the furniture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-hunter/you-just-touch-on-things-you-don-t-go-round-the-room-describing-the/)

[Evan Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-hunter/)

[Explore all 14 Evan Hunter quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-hunter/)

## More Books quotes

> [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

> [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/)

[Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/)

> [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/)

[Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/)

> [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/)

[Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/)

> [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/)

[Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/)

> [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/)

[Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/)

> [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

> [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/)

[Christopher K. Krebs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-k-krebs/)

> [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/)

[Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/)

> [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/)

[Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/)

> [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/)

[Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/)

> [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

> [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/)

[Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/)

> [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/)

[Markus Herz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-herz/)

> [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/)

[Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/)

[Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Mystery fiction was considered a stepchild of literature.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Evan Hunter"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-hunter/mystery-fiction-was-considered-a-stepchild-of-literature/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Books"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-hunter/mystery-fiction-was-considered-a-stepchild-of-literature/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3f/evan-hunter-34839_books_mystery-fiction-was-considered-a-stepchi_2278157.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3f/evan-hunter-34839_books_mystery-fiction-was-considered-a-stepchi_2278157.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c3f/evan-hunter-34839_books_mystery-fiction-was-considered-a-stepchi_2278157.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Mystery fiction was considered a stepchild of literature.” — Evan Hunter",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Evan Hunter",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-hunter/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Mystery fiction was considered a stepchild...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-hunter/mystery-fiction-was-considered-a-stepchild-of-literature/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-hunter/mystery-fiction-was-considered-a-stepchild-of-literature/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
